Heat-regulator.



R. R. ROOT.

HEAT REGULATOR.

APPLIoATloN FILED MAY e. 1903.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

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ATTORNEY.

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RALPH R. ROOT, OF GLENVILLE, OHIO.

HEAT-RE GULATOR.

Application led May 6, 1903.

T o all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known tliat I, RALPH R. Roo'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glenville, in tlie county of Cuyahoga and State of Ollio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Heat-Regulators, of which tlie following is a specification,

This invention relates to lieat regulators of tl'iat general class that controls tlie temperature by opening er closing a damper, and it has particular reference to tlie damper and tlie mechanism for controlling and turning the same, the object of tlie invention being tbe provision of a device of tliis clraracter that will fully open or close tbe damper upon a very sliglit cliange of tle temperature from normal. Tliis object I attain in the structure shown in tlie accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention with one of tne supporting posts omitted, said invention being snown as applied to an incubator, a part only of wlicli snown in section Fig. 2 is a front elevation of tl-.e regulator; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of tlie eapsule of. tlie regulator and parts of tlie 'supporting structure, said view being taken substantially online 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detailed view partly in section of tire damper and tlie eseapeinent mechanism; and Fig. 5 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation of a baby incubator tliat .is provided with my invention.

Referring `now to tlie drawings, in wnicl-` similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout tlie several views,

1 re resents tlie upper wall of an incubator, wnieln may be of any suitable type or for any purpose, that shown in Fig. 5 being for babies. In this figure, 2 is a .beating tube that passes tlnougli tne lower portion of tbe incubator to warm tlie air tlierein, said tube terminating at eacl'i end outside the incubator, and being turned downwardly and flared into a bell-shape at one of the ends. end a lamp or other suitable burner 3, is kept burning for heating tlie tube. For admitting fresli air, a tube or pipe 4 is provided, said pipe surrounding tlie tube 2 and extending inwardly to a point about midway between the ends of tlie incubator, tlie inner end being preferably beveled, as sliown. To `hold tlie tube and -pipe apart a proper distance, I interpose spider frames 5 near tlie ends of tlze latter. The air entering tne incubator is tlius conducted along tlie liet tube 2, and is Speecatien of Letters Patent.

In tlris.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Serial No. 155,889.

' partially warmed so that tlie baby will not be unduly chilled. To further protect it from tliis fresh air, I provide a hood 6 wiiieli covers the inner end of tire pipeand deflects t'ne air to tile sides ol tbe incubator.

Tire temperature in tlrc incubator is controlled by tire damper 7, wliieli is pivoted to tnrn in a suitable housing S, said lzousing closely fitting the damper so as to be entirely closed thereby wlien tire latter is in a horizontal position. Tlze liousing rests upon tire outer and upper side of tlie incubator, and surrounds an opening 9 in said side, tlxe opening being preferably at tire center of tbe incubator. '.llie vanos of tbe damper are carried by a saft or arbor 1() tliat is preferably pointed at tlze ends and journaled in sockets in tlre ends of adjusting screws 11 and 12. This forms a very sensitive bearing and is tbe form I prefer to use, altliougli any otlier suitable forni may be employed. if desired. Ti'ae screw 11 iscarricd by one side of tbc laousing, but tlre screw .l2 is supported in tbc upper end of a bent arm 1B tliat preferably projects from and is secured to the housing, altliougli tlse arni in ay be supported independently of the 1nousing. Lock-nuts ll are employed to secure tiie screws in tlleir adjusted positions. The damper is turned by means of a weiglrt 15 and cord 1G, wliie'a Cord is wound upon tbc arbor 10 and passes from tbeuec over a slzcave 17 tbat is journaled in brackets 13, said brackets being secured to tbc top of tire incubator and projecting so as to cause tne cord and weigixt to hang freely over tbe end tsereof.

As above stated, wlzcn tire damper is in a horizontal position, tire opening tnrougli tlie liousing is completely closed. IVlxen tlre damper is turned into a vertical plane, liowever, tine said opening is .substantially unobstructed, tbe tlzieliness of tlfc vanes and a1'- bor representing but a small portion of tbe width tliercof. To llold tlle damper in tliese two positions, I secure to tile arbor between tlie liousing and tlae arm 1.3 an escapelnent wlieel 1S), said wlfeel paving two engaging surfaces or teeth 20. I'Vitlz. these teetl: are adapted to engage tlre pallets 21 and 22 of an eseapement 23, said. escapement being mounted upon an arbor 24 that is `iournaled in tlle l'iousing and in au adjusting screw 25 that is carried by tlie bent arm 13. fixen tbe pallet 21 engages witll a tootln 2() tbe damper is closed, but wnen tnis pallet is moved so as to permit tlie weiglit and cord to turn the arbor 10, the same tooth 20 moves around until it is engaged with the pallet 22, which will hold the escapement with the dam er in its open position. To secure the resu t of moving the damper one quarter revolution for every movement of the escapement 23, the teeth 20 are diametrically opposite each other and the distance between the pallets 21, 22 is equal to half the distance between the opposite teeth 20 of the escapement wheel 19.

The escapement is o erated by means of a lever 26 that is pivote in brackets 27 on the upper side of the incubator, said lever having a forward bifurcated end that engages with a bent finger 28 on the escapement mechanism. The lever should be as long as practicable, as the sensitiveness of the device increases with the length thereof, and the. forward end should be so much heavier than the rear end that when its weight is thrown upon the finger 28 the escapement will be rocked.

The lever 28 is moved by means of a rod 29 that engages therewith at a point just in front of the fulcrum, and the unbalanced weight of the lever is normally supported thereby. The lower end of the rod is supported by a thermostat, said thermostat being preferably a capsule 30. The lower end of the rod is supported by the upper plate of this capsule Y30, see Fig. 3, the lower plate of which' is supported by a yoke 31, which yoke is suspended from a plate 32 on top of the incubator by posts 33. The brackets 27 in which the lever 26 is fulcrumed, rise from and form a part of the late 32.

Within the capsu e 30, which is supported within the incubator in the region where the heat must be regulated, I place a small quantity' of an easily volatilized liquid, as ether. `When the heat rises above the normal, the liquid volatilizes within the capsule and bulges the plates apart which lifts the lever 26 and causes the pallet 21 to release the escapement so that the damper can immediately open to its full extent. This wide opening through the top of the incubator permits the heated air to escape very rapidly, so that in a short time the air about the capsule is cooled to normal, when the liquid in the capsule resumes its original condition and permits the lever 26 to descend. This movement lowers the pallet 22 so as to permit the weight and cord to rotate the damper to its closed position again. rlhe movement of the escapement need be very slight, and as this slight movement is effected at the end of a long lever that is lifted from a point close to its fulcrum, it is evident that the bulging action of the capsule is extremely small, and that the device is highly sensitive. In fact the temperature can be regulated to a small fraction of one degree.

By lowering the yoke 31, which can be done by the nuts 34 on the posts 33, the capsule and rod 29 will be lowered so as to separate the latter from the lever 26, and permit the weight of the lever to be borne by the escapement. l/Vhen in this position the damper will be closed, and it will require a much wider bulging of the capsule to trip the escapement. It is thus seen that the temperature at which the damper will open is easily controlled. When the nuts 34 are loosened, the posts 33 and yoke 31 are forced downwardly by the springs 35 coiled about the posts. The cord is rewound upon the arbor 10 by simply rotating the escapement wheel backwardly with the finger.

As will be seen from the above description, l have provided a heat regulator in which a very small movement in a thermostatic device results in fully opening or closing a large passage for heated air or other gases, thereby insuring a quick return to the normal temperature.

lj/Vhile the invention is shown as applied to an incubator, it is evident that it is adapted to a more general use, it being only necessary that the capsule be contained in the fluid the temperature of which it is desired to regulate.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. The combination of a casing having an inlet and an outlet, means for supplying heating fluid through the inlet to said casing, a damper in said outlet, a shaft to which said damper is pivoted, an escapement wheel on said shaft, an escapement lever pivoted in operative relation to said wheel, a lever pivoted to said casing and having an end operatively connected with the escapement lever, a thermostat within said casing, and an adjustable member interposed between said thermostat and said lever and adapted to engage the lever near the fulcrum thereof, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of a casing having an inlet and an outlet, means for supplying heating fluid through the inlet to said casing, a damper in said outlet, a shaft to which the center of said damper is pivoted, an escapement wheel on said shaft, an escapement lever pivoted to coperate with said escapement wheel, an elongated lever pivoted near one end to said casing and having its other end in engagement with said escapement lever, a thermostat within said casing, and a member connected with said thermostat and adapted to engage said lever eapement wheel mounted on the pivot of said damper, an escapement lever coperating with said Wheel, an elongated lever pivoted near one end and having the other end connected to one of the arms of the escapement lever, a thermostat within said casing, and means connected with said thermostat and adapted to engage the lever at a point near the pivot and intermediate of the same and the escapement lever, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a casing having an inlet in the lower portion thereof and an outlet in the u per portion thereof, means for supplying allieating fluid through said inlet, a transverse shaft extending across said outlet, a damper secured at its center to said shaft, means tending to rotate said shaft, an escapement wheel on said shaft, an escapement lever pivoted in operative relation to said Wheel to control the movement thereof', a lever pivoted near one end on top of said casing and having its other end connected to said escapement lever, a thermostat within said casing, a rod connected to said thermostat and extending through said casing in proximity to the pivot and between the same and the escapement lever, and means for ad- 'justing the position of said thermostat to vary the amount of expansion necessary to bring the outer end of said rod into contact with said lever, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a easing having an inlet and an outlet, means for supplying heating fluid through the inlet to said casing, a damper in said outlet, a shaft to which the damper is secured at its center, means tending to rotate said shaft and damper, an escapement wheel on said shaft, said escapement wheel having a pair of teeth diametrically opposed to each other, an esca ement lever pivoted in position to engage sait teeth, said escapement lever having a pair of pallets the distance between which is equal to half the distance between the escapement teeth, a thermostat in said casing, and means operatively connecting said thermostat and said pallet lever, substantially as specified.

6. In a device for regulating the heat in an incubator, a housing on the upper side of the incubator, said housing forming part of a passage for gases from the incubator, a rotating damper having its shaft journaled in the sides of the housing, a cord and weight tending to rotate the said damper, an escapement wheel secured to the shaft of the damer, an escapement lever supported by the liousing and controlling the movements of the escapement wheel, a horizontal lever pivoted near one end and sup )orted on the top of the incubator, said lever having its end opposite the pivot engaging with the escapement lever, a capsule containing a volatile liquid within the incubator, a yoke upon which the capsule is supported, rods attached to the ends of the yoke and extending upwardly through the top of the incubator, the upper ends of said rods being screw threaded, springs tending to force the rods and the yoke downwardly, nuts on the rods whereby the capsule may be lifted or lowered in the incubator, a stem projecting upwardly from said capsule and adapted to engage thc said horizontal lever, the adjustment for the capsule being such that a variable degree of movement of the stem may be necessary before the lever will be moved to release the escapement wheel.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

RALPH R. ROOT. Witnesses:

S. E. FoUTs, F. D. SMITH, Jr. 

